The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Shadows
by jonnysaurus
Summary: Two years after the events of Twilight Princess, Link finds himself thrust back into chaos as an old evil from a past life surfaces. Can Link save not only Hyrule, but two other lands as well, or will the world be consumed by shadows.
1. The Tempest

**A/N(1): I DO NOT own the Legend of Zelda series, and anything affiliated with it. Any original characters are creations of my own and are used to enhance the already amazing story by Nintendo and crew.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: The Tempest<strong>

Link stared out from his second story tree house window at the dark and stormy sky. The unrelenting rain pounded the ground at an amazing rate, creating small streams where before, there were none. There were many people in the small village of Ordon that were calling this the worst storm in a hundred years. He sighed as he thought about how today was supposed to be the day that he taught Colin how to do the spin attack. He knew the 12 year old would have been able to learn it quickly.

A bolt of lightning streaking across the sky brought Link out of his thoughts. The resulting clap of thunder was powerful enough to cause his medium length blonde hair to blow back away from his face. _"This is getting really bad,"_ he thought.

He moved away from the window, making sure the shutters were closed and locked tight enough so that if the wind changed direction, they would not blow open. Link sighed again and walked over to his bed, where he sat on the edge, putting his hands on his forehead and closed his eyes.

For some reason this storm, which was in its second day had caused a lot of old memories to come to the surface.

It had only been two years since his triumphant duel against the Dark Lord Ganondorf, but the events that proceeded still had a profound effect on his life. Just thinking about her caused him pain. He could vividly remember the moments before she crossed through the portal to the Twilight Realm for the final time, a top the Arbiter's Grounds in the desert. Once open, she made her way across the glowing path. Before crossing to her home world, she turned back to Link, one last time, a single tear running down her cheek. She used this tear to shatter the Mirror of Twilight, in an attempt to sever the link between the worlds of Light and Twilight. She, however, had no idea, that in the process, she would also shatter Link's heart. _Midna…_

A sharp knock at Link's door brought him back to reality. Knowing that it would be one of the villagers, he quickly climbed down the ladder and made his way to the wooden door. Before he had the door completely opened, Fado burst in, sending droplets of water everywhere. Outside the wind howled, lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled so loud that the sound caused the ground to shake. _"This storm can't possibly be natural,"_ Link thought as she pushed the door shut and turned to a panting Fado.

Water dripped from his brown hair into his face. Link hurried to get something to dry his friend off, but Fado waved his arms around crazily, stopping him. "There's no time to worry about my being soaked to the bone," he said, the puddle under his feet growing by the second. "Mayor Bo's house was struck by lightning and caught fire. Many of the villagers are trying to put it out."

At the startling news, Link rushed into action, diving into his chest and grabbing items, including his Ordon sword and shield, and Hero's Clothes. His hand passed over the enchanted pouch Midna had made for him to store all of the weapons and items they had acquired over the course of their journey.

"_Take this," she had said. "It'll hold all of your items, weapons and armor, no matter the weight or size." She smiled as Link took the pouch and attached it to his belt. "We are trying to save Hyrule and the Twilight Realm from Zant, we wouldn't want you slowed down because of those Iron Boots now would we." She giggled before disappearing into his shadow where she hid while he was in his human form._

A pang of agony ripped through his chest at the thought of Midna, but he quickly shut it away, focusing solely on the crisis at hand. "Let's go," he said to Fado, crossing the room to the door, opening it and launching himself out into the tempest. Together Link and Fado ran through the trees down the dirt path that linked his house with the village proper. The pounding rain had turn the dirt to a muddy, puddle filled muck, which slowed them down. Link's heart pounded in his chest. _"I hope no one is hurt,"_ he thought.

By the time the duo had reached the village, the plume of smoke from the massive inferno could be seen, rising into the sky, both undisturbed by the wind and rain. Most of the villagers were rushing back and forth between the house and the stream with buckets trying to smite the fire, not realizing that their efforts weren't making a difference. Link and Fado ran towards Mayor Bo, who was barking orders to the villagers attempting to put out the fire, and at the same time, trying to convince Rusl to get his wife Uli and their two year old daughter Taryn out of the village.

"I won't leave Ordon to burn!" Rusl yelled over the fire and wind. "And I know Uli will agree with me. You need every spare hand you can get, Uli and Taryn are safe in the house for now, Colin and I can help here."

Bo rubbed his forehand and nodded, giving in to what Rusl was saying. He looked over as Link and Fado ran up. He looked at Fado and said, "Thanks for getting to him quickly." Then looked in Link's direction, "I know this isn't saving the Princess or anything, but thanks for the help." Link nodded, and rushed to grab a spare bucket to help with the dousing effort, silently wishing Midna was here to help. _"She would know how to help…she always knew the way when I was lost."_ As he ran towards the blaze with a full bucket, he heard Fado tell Bo he needed to go to the pasture to make sure the goats were still safely in the barn.

"Wouldn't want them to escape with all of this going on!" Fado yelled as he ran up the path towards the pasture.

Together, Link and the villagers tried to extinguish the fire. For what seemed like hours, they continued their effort. Every time they thought they had it under control, the flames would flare back into existence with renewed intensity. Link knew they weren't battling normal fire. He recalled the blue fire that was found in certain places around Hyrule, and how it melted red ice. This fire however was yellow and red, like any other normal fire in the world, and the water they were pouring on it was doing no good.

"I don't understand," Colin yelled out in frustration, kneeling down by the stream next to Link to refill his bucket, hair dripping with rain water. "Why isn't anything working?"

Link put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I don't know, but we will figure something out. Don't worry." He looked out at the rest of the village, trying to hide the concerned look on his face. _"At least it's not spreading."_

At that moment, he heard his name being yelled over the wind and rain. Link turned and saw Fado running down from the goat pasture. Link set his bucket down next to Colin and ran to meet Fado. "What is it?" Link asked.

"There's a woman," Fado panted. "She's badly injured. I need your help moving her."

The pair ran up the path to the pasture, leaving behind the villagers to battle the fire. When they got to the farm, they jumped the gate and ran towards the throng of goats near the center of the field. Link began to push his way through the goats, and when he reached the center, he let out a gasp.

The woman was wearing what looked to be a black tunic, or at least it may have been. It was so ripped and frayed that it no longer served much purpose. Wherever there were rips in the clothing, the woman's skin was raw and bloody, as though she had dove through a forest of blades in a hurry. She was breathing rapidly and her eyes were half open. As Link picked her up, she let out a soft moan.

"We need to get her to Pergie," Link said. "She'll know what to do." Fado nodded, and ignoring the goats, ran with link back to the gate and down into the village. They skirted Mayor Bo's house and were at Pergie's door within minutes. Pergie opened the door and saw Link, holding the woman's almost lifeless body in his arms. Her eyes opened wide, but she waved him in.

Link laid the woman on the small cot that was nearby, and quickly explained to Pergie where they had found her. Immediately Pergie went to work, mixing up poultices and potential antidotes for the wounds on the woman's body. Link walked over to where Fado was standing, looking out the window at the burning house.

"First the freak lightning, and now this," Fado said. "It seems like it's going to be another one of those days. Mysterious things happening here, and then those beasts brought that weird wall of blackness." Fear spread across his face as he looked at Link. "Do you think that's going to happen again?"

Link shook his head. "Don't worry Fado, everything is going to be fine. We'll find a way to douse the fire and rebuild the house. As for the woman, Pergie is the best and will be able to help her. She's had to help deliver Uli's child and help with all of the other injuries."

He turned to check on Pergie's progress with the woman. At that moment a terrible screech emanated from the injured woman's mouth. "Help me, Link! I need the spring!" Link faintly heard the words over the noise. Hands over his ears, he looked around at Pergie and Fado, both of whom were mimicking him. Pergie had backed all the way up against the far wall, next to Fado.

They both looked over at Link, terror crossing their faces. "The spring," Link said loud enough for both of them to hear. "She needs to be placed in the spring! The water has healing powers." _"How did she know my name?"_ Link thought as Pergie rushed over and placed the woman in Link's outstretched arms. With fear still covering her face, she said, "Hurry."

Link nodded at Pergie and made his way to the door, which Fado opened, and together they ran out into the pouring rain and rolling thunder. They quickly passed Sera's Shop, where Ilia had the younger children safely away from the tempest, and past Link's house towards the spring.

Breaking through the undergrowth, they finally appeared at the spring's edge and breathed a sigh of relief. The sun shone brightly in the clearing, quickly drying their clothes and warming their skin. The storm had not yet touched the area, but they could still hear the thunder rolling across the land. Link walked slowly over to the water's edge and carefully placed the woman in the warm, peaceful water.

Slowly, she drifted out to the middle of the spring. Link and Fado watched as the wounds on her body healed and color returned to her face; the spirit of Ordon was working its healing magic through the water. Fado walked up and put a hand on Lin's shoulder. "Is it going to work?" Link turned and nodded, but in an instant, Fado's expression changed from one of happiness to one of pure horror.

Link turned back and looked at the spring and the woman. The woman was now standing on the surface of the water, an evil smile spreading across her fact. "Thank you Link, Hero of Twilight, of Time, of Ages, and of Seasons. You brought me here just like I asked." The water underneath her feet began to change from deep blue to an acidic purple. "For your generosity, I shall spare your life…for now. As for everyone else, well that's a different story."

The woman spread out her arms and looked to the heavens. The water in the spring was now completely purple. "Despair. Sorrow. Destruction. All will befall this land I will be the ruler of the newly created world of Darkness! The wishes of the Dark One will finally be realized." Above her, a ball of dark energy formed and launched itself at Link. With no time to dodge, the dark energy struck Link in the chest, sending him flying backwards and into the ground.

Realizing that he was losing consciousness, the woman floated across the corrupted spring's surface and stared into Link's blue eyes. "Before you slip away…Remember my name…" She turned to the heavens once again. "I am Mael, daughter of Kyla, and great great grand-daughter of Veran, Sorceress of Shadows."

The last thing Link heard before he fell into darkness was the ear piercing laughter of Mael.

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><p><strong>(2): I have been away from writing for a while, and from fanfiction for even longer. A friend recently started writing again, and it motivated me to rewrite the first two chapters of this story and to continue (and hopefully) finish it. This is the first chapter, reworked and expanded upon a little more. It flows a little better now and hopefully makes a little more sense. I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review (I love hearing from my readers and I always look forward to reading any constructive criticism anyone might have).<br>**


	2. The Summon of the Sages

**A/N: So here is the second chapter. It's a lot of back story and explaining, but I hope everything sounds okay.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Summon of the Sages<strong>

_He stood next to Princess Zelda in the mirror chamber above the Arbiter's Grounds in the desert. It was only a few days after the three of them had defeated the Dark Lord, and Midna, the Twilight Princess, was about to leave for her home world via the Twilight Mirror._

"_Light and Shadow are two faces on the same coin," Princess Zelda told Midna. "One cannot exist without the other."_

_Link watched as Midna walked to the edge of the dais that held the Mirror. She turned around and a single tear ran down her cheek. She looked at Link._

"_As long as the Mirror exists, we may still be able to see each other," she said._

_Midna took the tear and pushed it towards the Mirror. Link watched as the tear passed through it and tiny cracks began to form, spreading outwards. Midna walked up the translucent steps that had formed due to the activation of the Mirror causing a beam of while light to project itself from the Mirror on to a giant slab of rock in the distance._

_Midna turned back towards Link and Zelda. She looked on last time at Link. "Good-bye," she said, and then slowly dissolved into black squares of twilight, which floated through the portal and into the Realm of Twilight._

_As soon as she was gone, and before Link could take a breath, the Mirror of Twilight shattered. A thousand tiny glass pieces fell to the ground around the mirror's frame…_

…"_One cannot exist without the other…"_

When Link awoke, he was laying on his back. He felt as though his whole body had been run over by a Goron rolling down from Death Mountain. His bodily pain however, was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. With the memory of that moment with Midna and Zelda at the Mirror of Twilight still fresh in his mind, he felt as though his heart was in the same shape of the Mirror: laying on the ground in a thousand tiny pieces.

Reluctantly, Link opened his eyes and he sat up. The room he was in, if it could even be called a room, was filled with a swirling white fog which obscured most of his vision. He looked down and saw that he was still wearing his Hero's Clothes and his sword and shield were lying next to him on the white floor. He shook his head as if he were trying to shake water out of his hair, trying to remember what had happened. He remembered placing the woman in the spring, which caused the water to turn purple. He remembered the woman speak to the heavens, something about being the great great grand-daughter of Veran.

"_Veran," _Link thought. _"I feel like I've heard this name before. It sounds familiar to me, yet…it doesn't. As if the memories are from long ago."_

"I believe we may be able to help you understand, Hero," a voice said, coming from what seemed like, to Link, the very fog itself.

Link stood up, picking up his shield and sword and placing them on his back, and looked around for the source of the voice. "Who are you?" he asked, turning in a circle.

"We are the sages of old," said another voice.

Out of the fog came six translucent and pale figures both male and female. All of them wore robes of pure white, and had bands of silver running around their heads, each with a different colored gem placed in the center. Above their heads three halo-like rings floated, symbolizing their position as guardians. The one with the golden gem spoke first.

"I am Rauru, Sage of Light," he said. "I know you have many questions, many of which we can answer for you, but you must be patient, for there is much we must tell you."

The next in line, a green gem in her band, bowed towards Link, and then spoke. "Hero, I am Saria, Sage of the Forest. You are standing in the Temple of Light, within the Sacred Realm. It is here, just after the beginning of time, that the three Great Goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore, left the land of Hyrule. It has been a long time since you have been summoned to this sacred place."

Link looked at Sage Saria, confused. "I've never been here before."

She smiled kindly and answered, "One of your past lives, the one referred to as the Hero of Time in your legends, was sealed away here for seven years…"

She stopped speaking, and the next in line, stepped forward. Link was surprised to see that this sage was a Goron. "Hero, I am Darunia, Sage of Fire. A thousand years ago, the land of Hyrule was much different than the land you know today. A thousand years ago a Gerudo King, named Ganondorf…"

Link opened his mouth to question what the Sage was telling him. _How is it that Ganondorf lived a thousand years ago? Was it the same person that we defeated two years ago?_ Sage Darunia paused to let Link ask a question, but continued when he did not.

"…came to Hyrule and had plans to attempt to break into the Temple of Time and take the sacred relic, the Triforce for himself. He tricked a young boy named Link into collecting stones from the different races of Hyrule in order to open the Door of Time in order to gain access to the Sacred Realm and secure the Triforce for himself. What Ganondorf did not know was that by doing this, allowing the young boy to pull the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, he would cause the Triforce to split into its three parts: Power, Wisdom, and Courage."

Sage Darunia stepped back and allowed a tall Zora woman, to step forward and bow. "I am Ruto, Sage of Water. Ganondorf's greed and lust for power allowed him to gain the Triforce of Power while the other two pieces went to Princess Zelda and to you Link." Link lifted his hand and saw the faint yellow triangle symbol appear. "However, Ganondorf was allowed to reign over Hyrule for seven long years while your body stayed in Sacred Realm until you were ready to wield the Blade of Evil's Bane and face the Dark Lord."

The woman on her left stepped forward. Her white hair was a mirror opposite to the dark purple stone that adorned her silver band. "I am Impa, Sage of Shadow. Before awakening as a Sage, thanks to you, I was caretaker of Princess Zelda…Once you woke up and accepted the task before you as the Hero of Time, you set out to the five temples to rid them of the evil which Ganondorf had placed inside so that the sages were unable to hear the call of the Hero. Once you had the power of the Sages behind you, you set off to Ganondorf's black castle and faced him, one on one.

You prevailed and struck down the Dark Lord. Afterwards, Princess Zelda chose to send you back seven years, allowing you to mature as nature had intended. Once again though, you set out from your home and met Princess Zelda, and you warned her of Ganondorf's plans and the danger he posed to Hyrule."

She stepped back into line with the previous four sages. The final sage, a woman of a race Link did not recognize, stepped forward. "I am Nabooru, Sage of Spirit. I sense that you do not recognize what I am, Hero. Am I correct?"

Link nodded and said, "That is correct, I know of the Kokiri, Zora and the Goron, but you of you, I do not."

Sage Nabooru closed her eyes for a brief moment, a look of pain, of loss, crossed her face. "I am a Gerudo. We had made our home in the desert near what is now known in this age as the Arbiter's Grounds; however, my race chose to leave the land of Hyrule after Ganondorf made his plans known to us." She paused for a moment and then continued the previous story.

After warning Zelda and the rest of Hyrule of the danger of Ganondorf, he was arrested and held through magical means that even he could not resist. He was put on trial and eventually sentenced to death."

Sage Nabooru stepped back in line. Sage Rauru spoke once again. "The story after his sentencing you already know, having had it told to you when you first visited the Arbiter's Grounds and the Mirror Chamber."

"Why are you telling me of this, of my past life?" Link asked. "Does it have to do with that woman, Mael? The name she mentioned…Veran…it sounds familiar, but I don't know why."

"Shortly after Ganondorf was banished into the Realm of Twilight, you were summoned back to the Temple of Time," Sage Impa said, "because two other worlds were in danger of falling to old minions of Ganon, Ganondorf's most powerful form. Through the power of the Triforce, you traveled to the land of Holodrum and saved the Oracle of Seasons by defeating the General of Darkness, Onox. Shortly afterwards, you were transported to Labrynna. It was there that you travelled back and forth through time to defeat the Sorceress of Shadows, Veran, and saved the Oracle of Ages.

Unbeknownst to the Sages at the time, the evil witch twins Kotake and Koume, known also as Twinrova, had devised a plan to try and bring Ganon back to the world of Light by lighting three torches, known as the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair. By defeating Onox and Veran, the Flame of Destruction and the Flame of Sorrow were lit."

"Through treachery Twinrova managed to capture Princess Zelda and light the Flame of Despair," Sage Rauru said, taking over for Impa. "Ganon was unable to be fully resurrected and you were able to easily defeat him, sending him back to the Realm of Twilight.

Sage Rauru continued on and told Link about how no one had known Veran had given birth to a child, much less had any more descendants. He told him of how Veran had acquired her dark powers by standing at the top of the Black Tower in Labrynna and by some divine prank, her wishes were granted. She became the Sorceress of Shadows, which allowed her to posses the Oracle of Ages. "If it hadn't been for your interference, Veran would have gained enough power to pass from Labrynna and into the land of Hyrule. For you see, the lands of Hyrule, Holodrum and Labrynna don't exist in the same realm. They are separate worlds, much like the Realm of Twilight is to the land of Hyrule and the only way to travel between these worlds is at specific locations in each."

Sage Impa began to talk again. "As a descendant of Veran, Mael gained her power from ascending to the top of the Black Tower and speaking Veran's name to the heavens. Afterwards, she cloaked the land of Labrynna in Shadow and, not being content in holding control over one world, came to Hyrule. As you know, she tricked you into taking her to the Ordon Spring, by tricking your mind in thinking she was an injured, helpless woman. Over the last three weeks, Mael has covered most of southern Hyrule in Shadow."

"Is that how long I've been unconscious?" Link asked.

"That is correct," Sage Impa stated. "Your body materialized here shortly after Mael's attack on you and Fado in order to make sure that you survived."

"What about Fado," Link asked. "And everyone else in Ordon Village?"

Sage Rauru stepped forward. "They are lost to the Shadow for now. The only way to restore them is to push Mael's Shadows back and return Light to the world. But the only way to make sure that she won't return is to follow her and find the source of her Shadow power. Only then will everyone be safe.

Now that you have awakened, you must return to Hyrule. In the chaos of Mael's attack and appearance of the Shadow, the races of Hyrule have grown untrustworthy of each other and civil war is possible."

The sages started to dissolve into the white fog. "Princess Zelda is waiting for you in Hyrule Castle. An old friend is waiting for you there." Sage Rauru said as the six of them vanished.

The white fog began to swirl around Link. _"Look out for the man with the dragon tattoo. He will be your greatest ally in the coming war,"_ Sage Impa's voice rang throughout Link's mind.

As her voice faded, the white fog dissipated and Link found himself standing outside the South Gate of Castle Town. Many things were passing through his mind as he digested everything the Sages had told him. He wondered how many other past lives he had, and if they had also fought a past life of Ganondorf.

As he thought of these things, he slowly made his way into town and towards Hyrule Castle in the distance.

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><p><strong>AN(2): I know there is a lot of debate on the timeline of the Legend of Zelda series, especially when it comes to the split timeline and the placement of games, specifically the gameboy games. For the sake of my story here, the order of games goes: Ocarina of Time - Oracle of Seasons - Oracle of Ages - Twilight Princess, with the Oracle games taking place a few months after Ocarina. I altered the storyline at the end of the two games so that it made sense with Ganondorf being send to the Twilight Realm.**

**NOTE: Mael is pronounced May-el.  
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